‘I contacted Yemeni scholars, made them understand’: India’s Grand Mufti on Nimisha Priya’s execution stay

India’s influential Sunni Muslim leader Kanthapuram AP Abubacker Musliyar is receiving praise for his intervention in the case of Nimisha Priya, the nurse from Kerala who faces murder charges and execution in Yemen.

On Tuesday (July 15), the Yemeni government stayed the planned execution on July 16, giving new hope to the nurse’s family.

Musliyar is the General Secretary of All India Sunni Jamiiyyatul Ulama and the chancellor of Jamia Markaz.

Talking to Network 18, the religious leader confirmed that he got official communication from Yemen regarding the postponement of Nimisha Priya’s execution.

He said he had earlier talked to the concerned scholars in Yemen and urged them to intervene in the matter.

“Islam has another law. If the murder convict is sentenced to death, family of victim has the right to pardon. I don’t know who this family is but from a long distance, I contacted the responsible scholars in Yemen. I made them understand the issues. Islam is a religion that gives a lot of importance to humanity. There is no difference of religion, caste but the importance is for human beings. This is something the scholars there also understood when we spoke about it. After my request if they could intervene in it and do something about it, scholars there met, discussed and said they will do what they can. They have officially informed and send the document that the date of execution has been postponed helping the discussions that are happening,” the mufti said.

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He said he has also informed the central government about his efforts and has also sent a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“I have also informed the Central government about the discussions and the process. I have also sent a letter to the Prime Minister’s office saying we are trying for this and this is the current stage. We don’t look for religion or caste in public issues. You all know that,” he said.

Nimisha, a 37-year-old nurse from Kerala, has been on death row in Yemeni capital Sanaa since her conviction for the 2017 murder of her Yemeni business partner Mahdi.

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Her legal team states that Nimisha administered sedatives to Mahdi to recover her passport and escape what she described as ongoing abuse.

Mahdi allegedly died from an overdose, and Nimisha was arrested while trying to flee Yemen.

Meanwhile, Congress leader and lawmaker Shashi Tharoor praised the Grand Mufti for his intervention in the case.

“Kerala is praying unitedly for his efforts to be successful. Honourable Kanthapuram Ustad has shown us that humanity is the most important in today’s era where there are attempts to divide humans and cultivate hatred and hatred in the name of religion and community,” Tharor, an MP from Kerala, wrote in a post on Facebook.